The city council is conducting business as usual.
The council called a special meeting for Monday, July 30, (we’ll be sure to find out who called it) at 4:30 “relating to the City Manager application review committee short list candidates and to consider scheduling interviews for the applicants for the position.”
Here’s what you need to know.
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The committee that was appointed by the city council met on Wednesday and Thursday of this week to interview the three remaining city manager candidates. The committee was initially scheduled to interview six candidates, but three withdrew their names from consideration prior to the interviews.
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The committee recommended two candidates to be interviewed by the council and submitted their names.
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The city council scheduled a special meeting for Monday afternoon to “consider scheduling interviews.”
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The public is welcomed to attend the meeting (but not encouraged, since it’s scheduled for 4:30 on a Monday, while many people are unavailable.)
Why does this matter?
Because the process worked. The process established by the city council has done exactly what it was designed to do: it identified the best candidates of the bunch.
So what’s the problem?
It’s no accident that the announcement for Monday’s meeting says they’ll “consider scheduling interviews.” The council is leaving itself room to claim that there aren’t enough applicants to choose from before they even interview the ones that were selected by the process the council created.
The City Council of DeFuniak Springs needs one city manager. Only one. That means that, of the two candidates remaining, one of them could be the city manager this council needs to help it run effectively and efficiently.
The City Council of DeFuniak Springs wants Tilman Mears. Or at least one member of the council does.
How do we know? We requested previous copies of the Dispatches from DeFuniak that Ron Kelley generates to keep the public notified about happenings at city council, and Kelley makes no secret of his preference for Mr. Mears. (If you’ve never seen these Dispatches before, perhaps it indicates that Mr. Kelley distributes them selectively.)
“I can think of no one more dedicated to this city and its people than Tilman Mears. He continues to be a major asset to our town and a blessing to our residents.”
January 12, 2017 (18 days before Mears resigned claiming personal attacks against him)
“Much has taken place since my last dispatch. As most of you know by now, Interim City Manager Tilman Mears unexpectedly tendered his resignation due to unrelenting harassment and antagonism by two elected city officials. Having voiced my unwavering support for Mr. Mears in media reports and a recent letter to the editor, I will not continue to belabor the point.”
February 28, 2017 (30 days after Mears resigned)
“Since former DeFuniak Springs City Manager Tilman Mears resigned due to harassment from two elected officials, the city has certainly been experiencing interesting times.”
May 9, 2017 (99 days after Mears resigned)
“It was a terrible blow to the citizens and staff when we lost Interim City Manager Tilman Mears, but that loss was forced on us because of some other people’s private agendas.”
May 29, 2017 (119 days after Mears resigned)
“Though Mr. Drake never sought the position, he has done an outstanding job at maintaining continuity and consistency of mission since the departure of our former Interim City Manager Tilman Mears. Both men proved they could do the job and do it well. We owe them both a very real debt of gratitude.”
September 20, 2017 (This was part of the welcome for Danny Lucas)
“We lost an excellent city manager, Tilman Mears, who was driven away by two elected officials and their followers.”
December 28, 2017 (As part of a year-end wrap up, Kelley laments the loss of Mears, praises Craig Drake, but never mentions sitting city manager Danny Lucas. Kelley also dedicates the entire second page to fault-finding of Danny Lucas’ facts in a recent council meeting. )
“Had it not been for a staff member giving former Interim City Manager Tilman Mears a copy of one of the nine letters from the state that the mayor received, we still might not know.”
February 28, 2018 (This appeared in his claim that information was withheld from the council.)
“The Council attempted to designate Assistant City Manager Tilman Mears as the permanent city manager, but that move was blocked by former Councilman Mac Carpenter. Mears eventually resigned, citing continuous harassment by Carpenter and Mayor Bob Campbell.”
June 20, 2018 (In this particular piece, he acknowledges that only two administrators have been fired in 30 years, both while Kelley was on the council.)
Mr. Kelley clearly lost objectivity where Mears was concerned a long time ago.
Here’s the other problem: Mears has withdrawn his name from consideration twice, citing that he is the victim of personal attacks.
He quit. Twice.
Just as the people suspected, Mears has proven that he is not the guy to be the city manager.
Note that the council has overseen three different ordinance changes related to the city manager.
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The council changed the residency requirements during its effort to force Mike Standley into the city manager position. (Ordinance 810)
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The council changed the requirements of appointment so that a 4-1 vote is sufficient to hire a city manager rather than a 5-0 vote. This was in response to Councilman Mac Carpenter’s refusal to hire Mears without advertising the job to outside candidates. (Ordinance 878)
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The council changed the experience requirements so that local government experience is sufficient rather than requiring city government experience. This was part of the current hiring process, during which the council seemed to be pushing for a return of Tilman Mears. (Ordinance 892)
The council has literally structured every part of the process. It has changed the rules, amended ordinances, chosen the committees and overseen every aspect.
The process isn’t working because the effort lacks integrity. When you bend the rules to fit a particular candidate, the system will fail every time because it lacks transparency. Kelley has made no secret of the fact that he wants Mears to return, and he’ll stop at nothing to make it happen.
From where we sit, though, there is still hope, and it’s this. Four members of this council have shown the courage to stand against the strong-arm tactics that have plagued this process in the past.
A quick history lesson.
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On May 1, 2018, Kermit Wright suggested that the council seek help from an outside firm. Kelley dismissed the suggestion saying that a committee of “local residents and business owners would have more knowledge as to the correct applicant for the city.”
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On April 26, 2018, Wayne Graham responded to the will of the people and voted against the firing of Danny Lucas.
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On Sept. 26, 2011, then-citizen Janie Griffith pushed back against Kelley’s move to open the city manager application to those living in Walton County rather than requiring citizenship in DeFuniak Springs.
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On Oct. 10, 2011, when the city council attempted to enter into an employment contract with Mike Standley prior to the completion of his background, Henry Ennis stood against the effort. He voted against their attempt to bypass the mayor, who disagreed with the move.
(Note that Kelley himself claimed that a committee was the best body for the job.)
You’ll also notice that in every case except one, the dissenting voice against their suggestions belongs to Ron Kelley.
Our message to Henry Ennis, Wayne Graham, Janie Griffith, and Kermit Wright is this: we see your efforts. We understand what you’re up against.
We believe the people of this city have proven their willingness to stand against this kind of conduct, and we are willing to stand alongside you now.
If each of you will commit to lead with integrity, regardless of what others around you are doing, you will demonstrate to the people of this great city that you hear their concerns. You will demonstrate a willingness to “take a breath” as one citizen suggested during the process of firing Danny Lucas.
The council missed its opportunity to pause during the firing of Danny Lucas, but it has a fresh opportunity today. Do not stray from the process you put in place. Finish what you started, and set yourself apart from the leaders who run roughshod over the system.
We believe then-resident Griffith exactly captured our sentiment in September of 2011 when she spoke out against Mike Standley’s rushed hiring process:
“Everybody should be interviewed, everybody should be treated fairly. What’s good for one person is good for all.”